Judith Cameron, B.A. (ANU), M. Phil. (Griffith), PhD (ANU)
ARC Australian Research Fellow and ARC International Fellow, Department of Archaeology and Natural History

Email: judith.cameron@anu.edu.au

Biographical Statement

My research focus is archaeological textiles, a generic term for a wide range of prehistoric fibre artefacts including cordage, basketry, matting and textiles. Over the past decade, I have been involved as the textile specialist on the following international archaeological projects in Southeast Asia and the Pacific:

• The Origins of Angkor Project directed by Dr Rachanie Thosarat (The Fine Arts Department of Thailand) and Professor Charles Higham (Otago)
• The Origins of Complex Societies in Sulawesi Project (OXIS) directed by Dr David Bulbeck (ANU) and Professor Bagyo Prasetyo (Indonesian National Research Centre for Archaeology)
• The Rapa Island Project directed by Professor Atholl Anderson (Australian National University) and Professor Douglas Kennett (University of Oregon)
• The Origins of Rice Project (SAJOR) directed by the late Professor Scotty McNeish (Andover Foundation), Professor Yan Wenming (Peking University) and the Jiangxi Institute of Archaeology
• The Thai/Italian Archaeological Lopburi Regional Archaeological Project directed by Dr Fiorella Rispoli and Dr Roberto Ciarla  (Italian Institute for Africa and the Orient) and Surapol Natapintu (Fine Arts Department of Thailand)
• The Niah Cave Project directed by Professor Graeme Barker (University of Cambridge)
• The Dong Son Textile Project, a joint Australian/Vietnamese Project, directed by Professor Peter Bellwood  (ANU), Dr Nguyen Viet and Dr Bui Van Liem (Institute of Archaeology, Hanoi) with conservators from the National Museum of Australia
• The Indian Textile Project directed by Dr Judith Cameron
  

My current ARC Discovery Project, the Indian Textile Project (2008-2012), is concerned with the identification of archaeological evidence for Indian cloth production and craft specialization in Early Southeast Asia. The data are of cultural significance as they provide the earliest unequivocal evidence for women in Southeast Asian prehistory.

Research Interests

Southeast Asian Archaeology, Textile Technology, Women, Craft Specialization, Vietnamese Archaeology, Dongson

Key Publications

• Cameron, J. 2000. Asbestos cloth and elites in Southeast Asia. Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association Bulletin 19: 47-51.
• Cameron, J. 2001. Textile technology and Austronesian dispersals. In G.R. Clark, A.J. Anderson and T. Vunidilo (ed.), The Archaeology of Lapita Dispersal in Oceania, pp. 177-183. Canberra: Pandanus, Australian National University.
• Cameron, J. 2005a. Spindle whorls. In C.F.W. Higham (ed.), The Origins of the Civilization of Angkor: the Excavation of Ban Lum Khao, pp.211-216. Bangkok: Fine Arts Department.
• Peter Bellwood, Judith Cameron, Susan Keates (eds.) 2005b. Indo-Pacific Prehistory: The Taipei Papers (Volume 3). Proceedings of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, Taipei, Taiwan. Canberra: Australian National University.
• Cameron, J. 2006a. The Origins of bark cloth production in Southeast Asia. In M.Howard(ed.), Bark Cloth in Southeast Asia, pp.65-74. Bangkok: White Lotus Press.
• Cameron, J. and M. Mijares 2006b.  Report on an analysis of spindle whorls from Callao Cave, Penablanca, Northeast Luzon, Philippines.  Hukay 9:5-13.
  
• Cameron, J. 2006c. New research into Dongson cloth from waterlogged sites in Vietnam. In I. Glover and L. Bacus (eds.), Uncovering Southeast Asia’s Past- selected papers from the Tenth Biennial Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists, The British Museum, London, 14th –17th September 2004, pp.196-203.  Singapore: Singapore University Press.
• Bellwood, P., J. Cameron, Nguyen Viet and Bui Liem, 2007. Ancient boats, boat timbers, and locked mortise and tennon joints from Bronze-iron Age Northern Vietnam.  International Journal of Maritime Archaeology 36:1:2-20.
• Cameron, J. 2007. Report on an analysis of spindle whorl J-2514 Callao Cave, Peňablanca, northern Luzon, Philippines. In Majares, M., Unearthing Prehistory.  The Archaeology of Northeastern Luzon, Philippine Islands, pp. 129-130.  BAR International Series 1613.  Oxford: Hadrian Books.
  
• Cameron, J. 2008a. Prehistoric Interactionin the Asian Mediterranean.  In Gu Xiao Song and Tana Li (eds.), Two Corridors and One Rim. Proceedings of the International Workshop “ A Mini Mediterranean Sea”, Gulf of Tong King through History, March 14-15, 2008, pp.99-110. Nanning:  Academy of Social Sciences.
  
• Cameron, J. 2008b.  Trans-Oceanic transfer of bark-cloth technology from South China-Southeast Asia to Mesoamerica?  In G. Clark and S. O'Connor (eds.), Islands of Inquiry, pp.203-210. Canberra: Pandanus Press.
• Cameron, J.  Fibre artefacts. In Anderson A. and Douglas Kennett (eds.). Rapa Iti. Auckland: New Zealand Archaeological Society (in press).
• Cameron, J. The Dong Xa Shroud. In Blair, S. (ed.), Weaving Together Two Ways of Knowing: Archaeological Organic Artefact Analysis and Indigenous Textile Arts.  Fredericton: University of New Brunswick  (in press).
• Cameron, J.  Archaeological textiles from the Great Cave at Niah: Analysis and Technical Implications. In Barker, G. and Gilbertson, D. (eds.), The Niah Caves. Cambridge: McDonald Institute of Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge (in press).
• Bellwood, Cameron, Huffer, Marwick, Pawlik (eds.) 2008. Bulletin of the Prehistory Association Volume 28. Proceedings of the 18th Congress of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, Manila, Philippines 20-26 March 2006. Canberra: Australian National University.
• Cameron, J., P. Bellwood, Bui Van Liêm, Nguyên Viêt. 2009. Kêt Qua Nghiên Cuu Vai Trong Van Hoa Dông Son Tai Di Tich Dông Xa (Hung Yên) Trong Hop Tac Khoa Hoc Viê t Nam-Uc Lân Thu Nhât. Khao Co Hoc 2: 20-25 (In Vietnamese).

Career Highlights

ARC Research Fellow, Australian National University 2008-2012; ARC International Fellow (Linkage) with Professor Graeme Barker (University of Cambridge 2007); ARC Post-doctoral Fellow, 2004-2007. The highlight of my career was the discovery and successful recovery of a complete textile shroud from a Dongson boat-burial from the Red River region of northern Vietnam in 2004. The shroud is the first complete shroud yet found in Southeast Asia. The excavation was a joint Australian/Vietnamese Archaeology Project funded by the ARC with the National Museum of Australia.